


Love and Loathing

by Scraxivele



Series: Modern Faerie Tales [4]
Category: The Darkest Part of the Forest - Holly Black, The Folk of the Air - Holly Black, Tithe Series - Holly Black
Genre: Angst, Dark Fairy Tale Elements, Drama, Fantasy, Female Protagonist, Magic, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:08:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25668712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scraxivele/pseuds/Scraxivele
Summary: An unexpected package shows up at the Court of Termites for someone who Kaye would never expect.One of several little one-shots to come that will take place after Miss Missing You that don't quite fit into the larger short stories.
Series: Modern Faerie Tales [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1610254
Kudos: 1





	Love and Loathing

Love and Loathing

  
  


"Dulcamara," the scarlet haired elf flinched. She'd been on her way out of the common room and headed back to her chambers when that all too familiar voice had cried out from down the hall. Today had no seen much of Kaye but of course, now that she wanted nothing more than to be alone, the green pixie girl came around the last corridor and into view. "Hey," her green lips cracked a smile and the knight had to force herself not to frown. 

"Yes?" Dulcamara raised an eyebrow as she took in the sight of her Lord's consort. She was in her usual mode of dress, the human kind, and had random streaks of pastel pink in her green hair. It looked horrible but then, Kaye was never one to really care what others thought of her appearance, not that Dulcamara would have shared what she thought of it anyway. Her arms were filled with a few small packages, again, the human kind, and she was looking over the names as if she'd forgotten which package was which. Finally, she held one out toward the knight and Dulcamara reflexively stepped back. 

"This one's for you," the pixie flashed that disgustingly contagious smile, and Dulcamara wanted to look away. 

"For me?" She questioned as she peered down at the small box. "From whom?"

"Nikki," the word washed through the Knight's ears in a strange, yet not unpleasant way, and her mood perked up a little. Why would Nicole Revin be sending her a package? 

"What is it?" She asked as she grabbed for the box and looked it over. 

Kaye shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know dude I don't go through other people's mail, that's illegal," Kaye said and Dulcamara almost laughed at how absurdly human her statement had sounded. "She didn't even warn me that she was sending you something."

"Right," Dulcamara answered flatly and tucked the textbook-sized box under her arm. "Anything else?" 

"No, I mean," Kaye rolled her eyes and exhaled. "Dismissed," she groaned and turned away from the knight. Dulcamara watched her go and silently felt a pit form in her stomach. She was supposed to be making this work. She had promised Nikki that she would try to do better and actually talk to Kaye but in the handful of months, she'd been home that had definitely not been happening. 

She was just so...human. 

Dulcamara turned back toward her rooms and headed down a few more hallways until she was able to close herself into her quarters and relax. Day time guard duty was never her favorite and she was thankful for it to be done with. Guarding Roiben was mentally exhausting and pushed her to her limits day in and day out. Physically keeping him safe wasn't so hard but her king had a tendency to make plans with no regard to his own well being. Fighting off his enemies was easy. Sitting there quietly all day while he plotted against himself? Not so much. 

She began to process of undoing all of the straps and buttons that held her leather padded armor together and let the package rest of her bed. 

What would the silly grey girl be sending her in the mail? The _human_ mail. Surely she could have had it delivered by the folk but then...that wasn't really her business now was it. She and the wolf boy were the ones who collected favors, not spent them. Especially not on something so frivolous. 

Once clear of her garments she let her magic run over her limbs and conjured herself a loose-fitting tank top and shorts to match, both black and plain. The magic persisted and flowed into her fingertips and her cheeks, right down to her toes. Her form shifted until she looked positively human. 

Couldn't be caught out on the hill looking like a monster after all. This was her favorite time of night, not to mention her favorite season. Out on the crest of the hill in the graveyard, she paced to the lonely oak tree that looked out over the graves and tombs of the old graveyard. Beneath the early fall moon when the leaves were still hundreds of brilliant shades of yellow-orange and red, some even still green. The night air was cool and refreshing on her skin and she could tell easily that there was no one around. 

She began to pry into the packaging, using her nails to break the packing tape before she pulled the brown box open and was shocked to find another, albeit smaller, white box within. She scowled down into the package for a moment as she studied the picture on it. The device was colored red, nearly the same red as her hair and she knew of course what it was. It said ‘Apple’ right on it after all. 

She reached in and removed the white box, finding a handwritten note settled at the bottom of the package. 

She pulled it open and began to read. 

‘Okay let me start out by telling you that you don’t owe me anything for this,’ she read and shook her head, a short breath flare her nostrils. ‘I just wanted to have a way to talk to you. I’ve already had it out of the box and set it up with a chip, and I’ve got it set on autopay so you don’t have to ever worry about any of that.’ 

Dulcamara rolled her eyes so hard that they may have disappeared into her skull. 

‘When we actually got to talking you actually seemed really nice so I...thought maybe we could be friends? I don’t know if you do that but...if you don’t want the phone just send it back. Anyway, it’s got my phone number in it and I even had Thorn copy over his whole iTunes library onto it and left the headphones in the box. I don’t really know if you have a way to charge it but...I mean I’m sure you’ll find a way if you want to. Hope to hear from you, -Nikki’

She turned the box over in her hand and pulled the top off. “Lord, what a gaudy thing you are,” she scoffed as she turned the large phone over in her hand. She couldn’t have gotten her something smaller? This must-have cost her a fortune. Well, that is assuming that Nikki had paid for it but...Dulcamara thought she probably had. Far as she knew the grey girl hated using her powers to trick people so she’s probably obtained it legally. 

Probably. 

_Snap._ Her ears twitched at the far off noise and for a moment, she froze. She sniffed at the air for a moment before letting out a long sigh. Her shoulders sank and her posture curled inward. She hated being seen like this by anyone, most of all, “I know you’re there.”

“Sorry…” Kaye said softly. She had only just come up the old earthen stairs and into the moonlight as silently as she could. It wasn’t easy sneaking up on fairies and if she were being honest, Kaye hasn’t really been trying to keep her presence hidden. She was only sorry that she’d come looking for the knight at all. “I didn’t mean to snoop but…” she started but Dulcamara waved her hand through the air to stop her. 

“It’s fine,” she grumbled. She had no right to refuse Kaye’s wishes anyway. 

“She sent you a cell phone?” Kaye wrinkled her nose at the idea. “I can’t picture you with a phone. It’s right in front of me and I can’t believe it.”

“She said I could send it back,” Dulcamara tried to play off her interest in the device as near she could but without being able to outright lie there wasn’t much more she could say. “If I didn’t want it.”

“But why did she give it to you in the first place?” Kaye asked in confusion. “You hate human stuff.”

Well, they could lie if they didn’t know what they were saying wasn’t true after all. 

Dulcamara drew in a deep breath and looked up toward Kaye, her bright red eyes locked with Kaye’s full brown ones. “Is there something I can do for you, Kaye?”

“Oh,” Kaye stepped back as if she’d suddenly realized she’d gotten far too close far too casually. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to pry, I just...I didn’t think that you...no. There’s nothing,” she sighed and turned back toward the entrance to the hill. “Sorry to bother you.” 

Dulcamara grit her teeth and listened for a moment as Kaye’s ridiculous high tops scraped through the dry grass and finally, forced the words out of her mouth. “You didn’t,” she muttered and heard Kaye stop in her tracks. 

“Sorry?” She turned back. 

“I said,” Dulcamara cleared her through in an annoyed way. “You did not bother me.” She strained to believe the words coming out of her own lips but there they were. Out in the open. 

Real. 

“Oh,” the pixie breathed and turned all the way around to face Dulcamara. 

“Nicole is…” she said before holding up the phone between her fingers before setting it down on her lap. “Far too kind for her own good.”

“Hmmph,” Kaye almost giggles. “Well, you’re right about that. You two are actually like...friends?”

“I...suppose we must be now,” she figured and held her finger down on the power button and the screen came to life. It had a surprisingly high amount of battery for sitting in the mail for a few days but it had been switched off the entire time and it was brand new. She set to getting into Thorn’s music collection and Kaye gave her a strange face when she navigated around the app so easily. Dulcamara tried to play like she didn’t see Kaye’s face. The pixie knew almost nothing about her after all. 

The green girl had no way of knowing that this wasn’t her first cell phone.

“Well, that’s good. I never pegged you for wanting friends,” Kaye said maybe just a little too harshly. Dulcamara sucked in a breath and turned to look but up and Kaye. She wanted to lash out at the girl but she knew she couldn’t, not now, and not just because of what she was to their court. But because of who she was. Because of who had asked her to give the girl a chance. 

“I...did not want them,” she struggled to say through gritted teeth and watched Kaye begin to give excuses. 

“I didn’t mean it like that I...that came out mean, I’m sorry.”

“Leave it,” the knight sighed and returned to the screen. Her nails tapped on the plastic a few more times before music began to play. 

‘When I was younger I saw, my daddy cry,’ it began and Kaye was again, almost speechless. 

“You like Paramore?” 

Dulcamara shut her eyes tight and bit her bottom lip. If she wanted to listen to Kaye talk she’d have not put the song on. “Yes. Are we going to play twenty questions or can we just skip all of that part?”

“That part?” Kaye asked and frowned before the question came up. “Part of what?” 

“Being…” Dulcamara started loudly but the next word caught in her throat. She thought for so long that she didn’t want this but now...after the amount of compassion Nikki had shown her for no reason...it felt a little too real. Like maybe all this time she really had secretly wanted this. Wanted someone to talk to. Someone to share secrets with and talk about her all but snuffed out feelings and memories with. “Friendly.”

Kaye was silent and still for what felt like a lifetime. Dulcamara felt foolish. Foolish that she’d ever thought that someone like Kaye was really interested in being friends with a killer like her. The pixie was no saint but she _was_ so ludicrously human. Barely a fairie by any stretch of her personality. How could she possibly want anything to do with their beat knight who relished in the thrill of every life she took. Well, probably because Nikki hasn’t cared about any of that either. And Nikki and Kaye were so similar that…

Her thoughts stopped as she watched Kaye take a seat in the grass beside her. Her green limbs nearly blended in with the stalks around her and the grass seemed to lean in toward where she was sat as if it were happy to see her. Silly, maddening Pixie’s. 

Kaye was nothing like the rest of them. They were all ditzy and clumsy, always falling into any fairies lap like they belonged there. They drove people mad with their beauty and easy moods. Not like Kaye. She was too smart. Too careful for what she was. 

Too clever for her own good.

Kaye just smiled and over to the knight and nodded in silence. Dulcamara could see her lips twitching for a moment as if she’d had more to say, but was thankful that she could hold it back. Questions could wait. Getting to know each other could wait. Sitting together in silence in the night air was more than enough. 

For now. 


End file.
